When can I make flight claim compensation after flight cancellation?

Do you know that you are entitled to claim compensation if your flight gets cancelled or delayed unless the cause is not any ‘extraordinary circumstances’.

There are conditions and variations depending on how far in advance the flight was cancelled. Rules and amounts for compensation are similar for flight delay and cancellation.

In this blog post we will tell you about EU regulations under which a passenger can claim compensation after flight cancellation.

If a passenger departs from EU airport or is arriving on any EU carrier, it makes him/her entitled to compensation and care but the condition is that it should be a delay of above two hours. Under EU ruling for Flight cancellation compensation and Cancelled flight compensation, the airline you are travelling by has to provide you food for that day and means of communication like phone.

And in case of overnight delays, it has to provide you transport if you want to go home and hotel accommodation if you want to stay. In case it is not able to book accommodation for passenger, the later has every right to claim cost back. Similarly if you are departing from EU airport, you are also entitled to care and compensation in the event of long delays.

Flight claim compensation will also depend on the route of the flight.For all the delays exceeding three hours, the compensation will be provided to you in cash. In case of hidden manufacturing defect, airlines cannot avoid compensation to passenger. If your flight delayed has happened even six years ago, you can still make flight claim compensation. Although airlines wanted this limit to be two years, but their appeal was not accepted by court.

As far as EU regulations for Flight cancellation compensation and Cancelled flight compensation are concerned, if a flight gets delayed by more than three hours, a passenger is entitled to €250 payment for shorter flights and payment of €400 in case flight distance is 1,500-3,500km.

And for the distances above 3,500km, a passenger is entitled to get €300 (£238) and the delay is at-least 3-4 hours and 600 for above four hours.

But there are exceptions when you cannot make flight claim compensation. Some of those reasons are as follows:

If the concerned airline had a valid reason of delaying the flight. The extra ordinary circumstances which force an airline to delay its flight include security issues, war, civil unrest, natural disasters and extreme weather conditions.

A medical emergency on board, air restrictions by air traffic control and airport staff strike are some other exceptions when you are not entitled to compensation in case of flight delay.

You will not be entitled to any compensation if the airline is able to prove that the reason of flight delay was any of the above listed extra ordinary circumstances.

The compensation will also depend on airline nationality. For New York- London flight booked via British airways is delayed and carrier American airlines, the passenger will be not entitled to compensation.

Flight compensation will also depend on the route of the flight. Passengers flying London to Singapore through Dubai and the flight to Dubai was late by more than three hours, a passenger can make flight compensation claim.

But in case flight reached late to Singapore from Dubai, in that case, you cannot claim compensation.

And passengers returning to UK on any sector are not eligible for flight claim compensation.

The rule is that airline should make payment in cash, but you can accept vouchers as well.

How to cross check airline claims that circumstances were extra ordinary?

If you are unsure about why airline cancelled your flight, then double check through the latest CAA’s Delays and the info related to Cancellations and you can tell travel advice section of CAA to review your case. CAA will talk to airline to verify whether you can make flight claim compensation or not. Its response can come in more than two months as there may be backlog of cases.

And, in case airline flight departs from other EU Country, then contact NEB in that nation. And NEB provides written ruling on passengers claim. But I may take time. Sometimes it takes months to verify them whether you can make flight claim compensation or not.